Chapter 2187: Scattered Cultivator Sun Sihai

"Bought from the black market? Only one?" Wang Changsheng pressed.

"Just one. It doesn't have any major divine abilities, but it's skilled at disguise." As Sun Sihai finished speaking, the cloud beast's body swelled like a bubble, enveloping him.

The cloud beast transformed into a white cloud mass, floating before Wang Changsheng. "Its stealth ability is indeed impressive, but its rank is too low," Wang Changsheng praised. This cloud beast was only a fourth-tier creature; it could probably deceive cultivators in the early God Transformation stage, but it would be impossible to fool Void Refinement cultivators.

"By the way, why were they hunting you?" Wang Changsheng asked with a curious expression. If a Void Refinement cultivator from the Liu family had been personally involved, Wang Changsheng wouldn't have interfered. However, Liu Nianhang was only at the God Transformation stage, so Wang Changsheng saw no reason to give him face. The Wang family avoided direct conflict with the Liu family whenever possible, and Liu Nianhang did not represent the entire Liu family.

Sun Sihai's expression was sorrowful as he said, "The Liu family captured my grandson and his wife and took them to the Soul-Locking Land for mining. I devised a plan to distract the Liu family's God Transformation cultivator, then I infiltrated the Soul-Locking Land and soul-searched the guards there. That's how I learned the truth. This is the Nascent Soul of a Liu family disciple; I wouldn't dare to deceive you in the slightest." He took out a greenish jade box and handed it to Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng opened it to see a miniature Nascent Soul with a shimmering silver talisman affixed to it. "The Soul-Locking Land? Do you know what kind of ore the Liu family is mining there?" Wang Changsheng continued to ask. The Soul-Locking Land was a dangerous place in the cultivation world; cultivators who stayed there for too long would gradually lose their spiritual power and become mortals. The Liu family capturing Nascent Soul cultivators to mine there clearly indicated that the place was very perilous, and they were unwilling to send their own clan members.

"I don't know," Sun Sihai said with a tone of regret. "When I broke in, all the ore had already been handed over. Even the Liu family guards didn't know what kind of ore it was." The Liu family's God Transformation cultivator returned too quickly, leaving him no time to investigate.

"Go! Run as far as you can. You won't be so lucky next time." Wang Changsheng waved his hand and accepted the miniature Nascent Soul.

"May I ask your name, senior? If I ever have the chance, I will surely repay your kindness," Sun Sihai said earnestly.

"Wang Changsheng of Green Lotus Island. No need for repayment, just ensure you save your own life. Now go quickly!" Wang Changsheng said dismissively, urging him on. He didn't expect Sun Sihai to repay him; he simply disliked Liu Nianhang's behavior and wanted to use the Liu family's influence against him.

Sun Sihai bowed respectfully, and the cloud beast carried him high into the sky, soon disappearing into the horizon.

"Qiuya, do you know why grandfather saved him?" Wang Changsheng looked at Wang Qiuya and asked kindly.

Wang Qiuya thought for a moment and replied, "There cannot be two tigers on one mountain. The Liu family is powerful, but our Wang family isn't made of clay."

Wang Changsheng smiled faintly, neither affirming nor denying her statement.

With a rumbling sound, Wang Sen emerged from beneath the sea, holding a light green ore in his hand. "There was indeed a small Green Sandstone mineral vein below, but it's been mined out. I only found one piece of Green Sandstone," Wang Sen reported truthfully. Green Sandstone was a third-tier material used to refine magical treasures, but this particular Green Sandstone vein had long been completely exploited.

"This time, I finally guessed right!" Wang Qiuya beamed with joy. A single piece of Green Sandstone was not highly valuable, but it proved Wang Qiuya's capability.

Wang Sen handed the Green Sandstone to Wang Qiuya, who happily accepted it.

"Alright, we've been delayed long enough. It's time to head to the market for serious business," Wang Changsheng urged. Wang Sen leaped onto the Green Phoenix Boat. With a flick of his incantation, the Green Phoenix Boat immediately glowed with a brilliant green light, transforming into a streak of green light that vanished into the horizon.

Thousand Bamboo Island was renowned for its abundant Cold Flame Bamboo. Cold Flame Bamboo was a spiritual bamboo comparable to Lihuo Bamboo, but unlike the latter, Cold Flame Bamboo was used to set up ice-attributed formations. The ancestor of the Liu family was a spiritual plant cultivator who, after leaving the Cold Flame Sect, established the family with significant assistance from the sect. The island boasted over 100,000 Cold Flame Bamboo plants, with a 30,000-year-old Cold Flame Bamboo serving as the primary formation core. Thousands of Cold Flame Bamboo plants over a thousand years old formed the sixth-tier Icebound Spirit Sealing Grand Formation. The Liu family had used this formation to successfully repel an attack from a sixth-tier demonic beast, earning them widespread renown.

Liu Yunfeng was the patriarch of the Liu family, with a cultivation in the mid-God Transformation stage and thousands of descendants.

In a secret chamber, Liu Yunfeng was reporting to Liu Tianxiao. "How did he get involved? Liu Nianhang and the others didn't offend him, did they?" Liu Tianxiao asked with a frown.

"No, Fellow Daoist Liu and the others quickly backed down. However, when Fellow Daoist Liu invoked our Liu family's name, he didn't yield an inch and seemed intent on opposing our Liu family," Liu Yunfeng complained. His mother was from the Liu family, so he was quite partial to them.

"If merely invoking the Liu family's name could scare him away, the Zhenhai Palace wouldn't have allowed the Wang family to establish themselves here," Liu Tianxiao instructed. "Send a few God Transformation clan members to personally oversee that area. Stop capturing Nascent Soul cultivators for mining; it brings a bad reputation." He continued, "The Wang family and the Liu family are destined not to be harmonious. Even if they desired peace, neither the Zhenhai Palace nor the Cold Flame Sect would allow it. The Cold Flame Sect supports the Liu family because they want the Liu family to be their representatives in this sea region, assisting them with affairs, and the same goes for the Wang family. Conflict between the Liu and Wang families is inevitable; there simply isn't a suitable excuse or significant clash of interests yet."

"Yes, Ancestor," Liu Yunfeng replied, preparing to withdraw.

"Wait," Liu Tianxiao gravely reminded him. "You are a member of the Liu family. When you act, you must consider the Liu family's interests, not those of cultivators with other surnames." Liu Yunfeng repeatedly acknowledged this, agreeing to the instruction.

"I need to make a trip to Snow Goose Market, hoping to bid for treasures to help me overcome my tribulation," Liu Yunxiao instructed. "While I'm not on Thousand Bamboo Island, you all must abide by the rules. Seventh Uncle is still out; if anything comes up, go find Eighteenth Brother." The Liu family currently had three Void Refinement cultivators: one was traveling, and two remained on Thousand Bamboo Island.

"Yes, Seventh Grand-Uncle," Liu Yunfeng readily agreed, his expression respectful.

Thirty thousand years ago, a sixth-tier Snow Goose occupied Snow Goose Island, harming human cultivators and causing widespread devastation. The Cold Flame Sect dispatched three Void Refinement cultivators to slay this demonic beast, then took control of Snow Goose Island and established a market. Snow Goose Market's geographical location was advantageous; merchant caravans from the Azure Glaze Sea Region doing business on the Profound Spirit Continent mostly docked there, contributing to the market's prosperity. The Cold Flame Sect stationed five Void Refinement cultivators there, set up a seventh-tier formation as the island's protective array, and had hundreds of disciples on patrol to deter minor criminals.

A streak of green light flew from the distant horizon. As it approached within a hundred li of Snow Goose Market, its speed slowed, descending gently from the sky. It was clearly a shimmering green flying boat. Wang Changsheng and the other three stood on the green flying boat, gazing towards Snow Goose Island in the distance.

A green rainbow bridge stretched across the sea for a hundred li, with many cultivators walking on it. One end of the green rainbow bridge was on the sea, and the other was on Snow Goose Island.